Into the Arena
Jepe's Ambition The Arena After being alerted to the fact that he was going to have to fight in a supposed arena, Warehouse Waldo questioned Jepe about what he meant. Jepe explained that after Nick died his loyalists regrouped and decided that only the strongest should rule them which led to the creation of an arena. The current ruler, Vape Lord, was undefeated in the arena and thereby ruled the townfolk. In order to gain more soldiers for his cause Jepe planned on making Warehouse Waldo his champion and fighting Vape Lord and other contenders for their loyalty. CrossCapture and StubbyFingers While Jepe explained to Warehouse Waldo what the plan was, CrossCapture and StubbyFingers woke up in cells across from each other and with manacles keeping them from moving. The two didn't lack for food or water but were constantly questioned by Jepe's lieutenant, Jarelo, about the two. It was quite obvious that Jepe didn't trust either of them and also needed them hostage so that Warehouse Waldo would fight for him. The Fight Contenders * Warehouse Waldo - representing Jepe * Vape Lord - representing himself * Mega Duggan - representing himself Structure of the Fight According to the rules set before the arena was constructed, all contenders could wear any armor they wished but only melee weapons were allowed. Warehouse Waldo wore mail with boiled leather and a bastard sword, Vape Lord wore plate with a spear, and Mega Duggan wore leather with a rapier. A big part of the arena custom was not only for someone to win, but for the audience to also have entertainment. This allows for some more gifted warriors to lose as they spend more time trying to gain favor with the crowd as they compete with other gladiators. Attendance Jepe as a guest of honor sat in a shaded booth in the front row alongside his lieutenant Jarelo, Vape Lord's assistant Cameron, Bernie Trump, and surprisingly StubbyFingers. Jepe desired for StubbyFingers to watch as he knew that it might inspire Warehouse Waldo to fight more to make sure that SadBoy had a chance for survival. Also in attendance unbeknownst to most there were spies serving both Swamp Ass and Duke Jacob von Briton. This was not wrong in any sense as Vape Lord did not care for any faction and allowed all in. Once Jepe appeared with his entourage it is most likely that the spies were quick to alert their overlords that the outlaw Jepe was in attendance and present. The Fight Begins As the battle commenced Warehouse Waldo and Mega Duggan immediately began to square off. Vape Lord allowed this and decided instead to try and rally the crowd to himself and gain favor with his people. Mega Duggan was quick and Warehouse Waldo was slow. In the beginning Mega Duggan had the upperhand and grazed Warehouse Waldo in multiple areas. After Warehouse Waldo attempted a thrust, Mega Duggan disarmed him and prepared to finish him off. As he pulled back his rapier for the stab, Vape Lord's spear emerged through his chest cavity. The crowd roared with excitement as the showdown between the two began. Vape Lord and Warehouse Waldo Vape Lord was the most favored to win as Warehouse Waldo was more of a strategist when he served under SadBoy. The two began to fight but Warehouse Waldo was slowly losing his ground. Vape Lord was able to hit Warehouse Waldo on the side with the blunt of his spear and knock him on his stomach, facing Jepe and StubbyFingers. Warehouse Waldo saw a familiar face encroaching behind the booth and realized he had to win to alert them. He quickly dodged Vape Lord's stab, much to the crowd's dismay, and grabbed Mega Duggan's rapier. He threw sand in Vape Lord's eyes and instead of killing him, he knocked Vape Lord unconscious as he had to save StubbyFingers. A Wary Predator During the fight, agents of Swamp Ass were gathering together. Agents of Duke Jacob von Briton had already left to inform their master. Those of Swamp Ass put on masks resembling their commander and moved to kill StubbyFingers, Jepe, and Jepe's cohorts. Once the crowd booed Warehouse Waldo for sparing Vape Lord, Warehouse Waldo took his spear and thrust it into the booth. Jepe and the others ducked but the spear was not for them. The spear hit one of Swamp Ass's agents who had sneaked up behind them with a dagger in hand and it occurred to everyone that they were not safe. Battle of the Arena Beginning of the Chaos The agents of Swamp Ass began to slaughter the civilians and moved forwards to kill Jepe, Jarelo, Cameron, and StubbyFingers. The four of them jumped into the arena and formed a circle with Warehouse Waldo. The five of them unsheathed what weapons they could as more and more civilians fled around them and agents chased. Jepe and his men prepared for the worse. Standoff What cohesion remained of Jepe's forces and the civilians remained in the center of the arena. While there were more of them, Swamp Ass's agents all had weapons while almost none of the civilians had any. The agents then said that if CrossCapture is released to them then everyone else can go free. Whispers ran throughout the arena as people realized that CrossCapture was alive instead of being lost. Realizing their mistake Swamp Ass's agents raised their weapons and prepared to fire into the crowd until CrossCapture raised his hand. A frightening roar then erupted as the sand beneath the agents blew far and wide. Beast of the Arena While the agents were busy discussing, Vape Lord, master of the arena, had awakened and moved to release the second use of the arena: the beast fights. A massive beast erupted from the sands covering the arena floor and with a thundering roar charged into the agents and civilians alike. With chaos erupting once again, Jepe and his people escaped the circle that the agents had formed and ran away. The beast didn't care who it killed as it fought agents and civilians alike. They closed the doors behind them and lowered the mighty bars, locking the arena. Conclusion Jepe's New Allies With Warehouse Waldo's defeat of Vape Lord, Jepe technically has control of the once loyalists of Nick. Although Vape Lord lived long enough to free the beast, he was not found when they reopened the arena. They found the beast dead, Vape Lord gone, and seemingly half of Swamp Ass's agents dead and the other half gone as well as dozens of civilians. Although it had come at a heavy cost, Jepe realized that now the people would fight for him because of his champion's strength and for vengeance for their people. Another Captive When searching the arena, it turns out one of the agents was fully dead. Jepe quickly had him treated to and told the doctors to make sure that he came out alive. With an agent of Swamp Ass's in their hands, it would be possible to find information out of him and maybe how to recover CrossCapture's memory. A New Home The inhabitants realized that after the attack they were no longer safe and decided to move with Jepe to a safer location. He freed CrossCapture and granted Warehouse Waldo his aid in recovering SadBoy from his plight and in recovering CrossCapture's memory. Jepe told them he must first find a new home for his people and then they could march for SadBoy.